Tag Archives: graphics

Early 2012 Progress report

First things first: A great and happy new year to everyone! Ignore the harbingers of doom and believe in 2012 being the best year ever, premisce to many more great years to come!

 

It’s been nearly 2 months since my video update, so this post is quite overdue.

 

Sadly there aren’t any great breakthroughs to announce. Image assets are being completed slowly due to events in the Philippines (location of the art studio I’m working with on this project). Washi, a ruptured dam in the Manila area and the end-of-year festivities have slowed them down. On my end the family situation I mentionned about a year ago came to a tragic end in November. I moved back home and am slowly settling in again, and will be working pretty much full time on Underworld and the sequel over the next few months.  Then, decisions will have to be made.

 

Nevertherless, the prolonged development time has given me the opportunity to nicely enhance Underworld. Three new maps, 10 new monsters, many moar lewts, a double special attack for some mobs (greatly adding to the technical challenge of many encounters), new special attacks for others, much better end of game balance, new features enhancing gameplay (like setting game speed, (P)rotect replaces (B)lock…).

 

The images that have been done look pretty sweet! Phantoms, wraiths (both new mobs) and a few others have transparency effects that I personally can’t stop gawking over and some of the still cutscenes are absolutely awesome 🙂

 

 

Rising from grave
Rising from grave

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Apparition Encounter
Apparition Encounter

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Militiaman Encounter
Militiaman Encounter

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Also you might have noticed that the first monster in line is illustrated as before, but in a reproduction of the encounter’s environment.

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To summarize I must confess that my early 2012 release goal will not be met. I’d rather not set a date that may not be met either at this point, but it shouldn’t be long. The bright side of things is that Underworld Gold will be all the better for it.

 

Welcome, Traveller!

 

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Welcome, traveller!
Welcome, traveller!

 

You aren’t a troll, are you?  They tend to leave their rooms more untidy than the average mountaineer. And that is saying a LOT.

 

Then you are most welcome. Sign for a room, the RSS feed, and enjoy your stay in our frugal yet hospitable gladiator’s inn.

 

The arena re-opens soon, careened and refitted, and filled with shiny new monsters. And stores will greet you with a homely image. Things are moving along at a good pace!

 

Caverns and fauna

Wall thickness being an important issue for immersion in a game where there are a lot of walls, there needed to be a better solution for a cavernous environment than six sided blocks. After all, cavern walls aren’t square.

 

Swords and Sorcery - Underworld Cavernous environment
Swords and Sorcery - Underworld Cavernous environment

 

Underworld now has a basic 3D engine but the goal to keep things simple was to make do without 3D objects. Just basic shapes and textures. That is how it worked out for the caverns.

 

A few people have asked how monsters appear in the new environments. Well, they do so much like they did before – a very oldschool way. Only now those that have feet actually have those on the ground. Here’s a peak at the upcoming monster art as well.

 

Swords and Sorcery - Underworld Abyssal horror encounter
Abyssal horror encounter

 

Swords and Sorcery - Underworld Swarming Plague encounter
Swarming Plague encounter

 

Swords and Sorcery - Underworld Rockhide Scorpion encounter
Rockhide Scorpion encounter